Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde completed a perfect 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup weekend at Misano with victory in Sunday’s second race.
Jules Gounon led the opening stint from pole for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. However, an exceptional Team WRT pit stop moved the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO ahead and allowed Weerts to control the second half of the race.
Daniel Juncadella finished second alongside Gounon, while Lucas Auer passed local favourite Valentino Rossi during the final minute to secure third for Winward Racing. The victory also gave Weerts a record-breaking 20th Sprint Cup win and placed the #32 crew 14 points clear at the top of the championship.
Gounon defends the lead from Van der Linde
Gounon started from pole in the #3 Mercedes-AMG and immediately faced pressure from Van der Linde.
The BMW driver attacked through the opening sequence of corners, forcing Gounon to defend before the Mercedes-AMG established itself at the front. Nevertheless, Van der Linde remained within one second throughout much of the opening stint and prevented the leader from building a comfortable advantage.
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing had already completed a significant recovery before Sunday’s race. An opening-lap accident eliminated the #3 car from Race 1, prompting the mechanics to repair the Mercedes-AMG overnight before Gounon returned to claim pole and lead the early stages of Race 2.
Hesse joins the fight at the front
Behind the leading pair, Max Hesse gained a position at the start and moved the #46 Team WRT BMW from fourth into third.
Hesse initially remained close to Van der Linde, creating a three-car lead group. With Van der Linde unable to find a route past Gounon, Hesse reduced the gap to his teammate and moved within one second of the #32 BMW.
However, the German lost ground towards the end of the stint. Consequently, Gounon and Van der Linde entered the mandatory pit-stop phase with a clearer advantage over the sister Team WRT entry.
Maro Engel held fourth in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, while the remainder of the leading Pro Cup runners followed behind.
Outstanding Team WRT stop changes the race
Gounon handed the #3 Mercedes-AMG to Juncadella during the pit window.
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing completed a competitive stop despite the extensive work that the team had carried out overnight. However, Team WRT produced a significantly quicker turnaround when Van der Linde made way for Weerts.
The Belgian squad’s pit work moved the #32 BMW ahead of Juncadella and transformed the race. Weerts began the second stint in the lead, while Juncadella returned to the circuit in second.
Rossi took over the #46 BMW from Hesse and retained third. Meanwhile, Auer replaced Engel in the #48 Mercedes-AMG and emerged in fourth, giving the Austrian a clear target for the remainder of the race.
Weerts controls the second stint
Once Team WRT placed him at the front, Weerts managed the gap to Juncadella and avoided offering the Mercedes-AMG an opportunity to attack.
Juncadella remained within range but could not reduce the advantage sufficiently to challenge the BMW. Therefore, Weerts maintained control throughout the closing stages and completed 38 laps to secure Team WRT’s second victory of the weekend.
The #32 BMW crossed the line 2.977 seconds ahead of the #3 Mercedes-AMG. The result gave Gounon and Juncadella their second runner-up finish of the Sprint Cup campaign following an impressive recovery from Saturday’s retirement.
Auer closes rapidly on Rossi
While the first two positions remained stable, Auer transformed the battle for the final podium place.
The Winward Racing driver recorded the fastest lap of the race as he reduced Rossi’s advantage. However, the Italian initially maintained enough distance to protect third in front of his home crowd.
Auer continued closing and reached the BMW during the final minute. He then attacked at Turn 8, moved alongside Rossi and completed the pass into Turn 9.
The move promoted Auer and Engel to third, 14.049 seconds behind the winners. Rossi and Hesse finished another 1.401 seconds back in fourth after losing the podium during the final moments.
Emil Frey Racing leads Ferrari finishers
Thierry Vermeulen and Ben Green completed the top five in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO.
The Ferrari pairing finished 23.206 seconds behind the winning BMW and led the manufacturer’s entries at the chequered flag.
Thomas Neubauer and Arthur Leclerc followed in sixth for AF Corse, while Dean Macdonald and Marvin Kirchhöfer brought the #59 Garage 59 McLaren home in seventh.
Amaury Cordeel and Jordan Pepper completed the Pro Cup top eight and the overall top 10 in Team WRT’s #31 BMW.
Pereira and Aka complete Gold Cup sweep
Dylan Pereira and Alex Aka secured their second Gold Cup victory of the weekend in the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II.
The pair finished eighth overall and completed a perfect class weekend after also winning Saturday’s opening race from pole.
Pereira and Aka defeated Thomas Fleming and Louis Prette’s #58 Garage 59 McLaren by just over 1.5 seconds. Fleming and Prette took ninth overall and second in the Gold Cup.
Simon Gachet and Romain Andriolo completed the class podium for CSA Racing in the #555 McLaren, while Loris Spinelli and Mattia Michelotto followed in the #163 VSR Lamborghini Temerario GT3.
Panis and Bartone claim maiden Silver Cup win
Aurélien Panis and Anthony Bartone delivered GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros’ first Silver Cup victory of the season.
Panis started from class pole in the #6 Mercedes-AMG and controlled the category during the opening stint. He then handed the car to Bartone, who maintained the advantage and completed the victory.
The pair finished 13th overall and comfortably led Jamie Day and Mateo Villagomez’s #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin.
Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro completed the Silver Cup podium in the #30 Team WRT BMW after winning the class during Race 1.
Salikhov and Dienst respond with Bronze Cup victory
Rinat Salikhov and Marvin Dienst secured the Bronze Cup win for Winward Racing in the #87 Mercedes-AMG.
The pair had challenged for victory in Race 1 before a technical problem allowed GetSpeed Team Dubai to move ahead. However, Salikhov and Dienst responded by controlling Sunday’s class contest and taking an early lead in the Bronze Cup standings.
Eddie Cheever and Peter Dempsey finished second in the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche. Kiern Jewiss and Charles Dawson followed in third for 2Seas Motorsport.
The #87 Mercedes-AMG finished 24th overall and completed a double-podium result for Winward Racing alongside Engel and Auer’s overall third place.
Weerts sets new Sprint Cup victory record
Weerts’ victory represented the 20th overall Sprint Cup win of his career.
He had matched former teammate Dries Vanthoor’s record of 19 victories by winning Race 1. Therefore, Sunday’s result moved Weerts clear as the most successful driver in the championship’s history.
Meanwhile, Weerts and Van der Linde converted their Misano double into a 14-point championship lead. They had entered Race 2 level with Lionspeed GP drivers Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus after Saturday’s result.
However, Feller and Buus finished 20th on Sunday, allowing the defending champions to create a clear advantage before the next Sprint Cup round.
Team WRT leaves Misano with perfect record
Team WRT secured both overall victories at Misano through two contrasting performances.
Weerts used an exceptional start to take control of Race 1 before handing the car to Van der Linde. In Race 2, Van der Linde maintained pressure on Gounon before the pit crew moved Weerts into the lead.
Consequently, the #32 BMW crew transformed a championship tie after Saturday’s race into a 14-point advantage by the end of Sunday.
GTWC Europe will return with another Sprint Cup round at Magny-Cours from 31 July to 2 August, where Weerts and Van der Linde will attempt to extend their championship lead.
